Jul 17, 2013

Importance of Landscape Mulch for Your Garden

There is nothing more beneficial to your garden
than landscape mulch is. More and more people are beginning to realise why this
is so important for the growth and the beauty of their garden. There are many
different types of mulch available for you to choose between. This includes
grass clippings, compost, bark chips, peat moss, decaying leaves, straw, hay,
gravel, rubber and landscape fabric. Thus it shouldn’t be too difficult to get
your hands on some suitable mulch material. But let’s find out the reason why
it is important that you do use mulch.

Stops Pesky Weeds From Popping Up

One of the main benefits associated with landscape
mulch is the fact that it inhibits weeds from growing. There is nothing worse
than spending your weekends pulling weeds out of your garden. Let’s be frank;
they look ugly. They can turn a beautiful garden space into one that looks
unruly and unattractive. But thanks to mulching you need not worry about this.
It is also important to bear in mind the fact that whilst weeds may look awful
this is not their only negative attribute. They also steal a lot of the
resources that would otherwise be used by your garden plants.

Mulching Helps Your Plants Grow

In addition to this, mulching is also extremely
advantageous because of the benefits it provides to plant growth and plant
life. It stops your plants from drying out too quickly and this is because it
holds in the soil’s moisture. A lot of the time plants do not grow effectively
because they don’t receive the amount of water you think they are getting.
However, mulching helps with this because it ensures that moisture does not
quickly diminish.

Soil Temperature Fluctuations Decrease

One of the main problems with soil, especially in
countries of varying temperatures and weather conditions, is the fact that the
temperature of it fluctuates. If you live somewhere where it rains one week and
then be sunny the next you will notice the fluctuations a lot more than others.
This can result in your plants being stressed and not growing effectively.
However, mulching helps to keep soil temperature consistent no matter what the
current weather condition is.

Prevents Frost Heaving

In countries whereby cold temperatures are the norm
frost heaving seems to be a particular problem. This is when plants end up
being pushed out of the ground. This is somewhat of a natural expansion whereby
the soil contracts as it cools off and then heats up. Nobody wants their plants
to be pushed out of the ground; you will have to plant new ones again.
Thankfully mulching stops this from happening as it protects your plants’
roots.

Adds Nutrition

And last but not least, mulching can also add
nutrients to your soil too. This is not always the case; it depends on what
type of mulch you use. If you want to pick mulch based on nutrients then you
should go for compost.

About Author: Daniel Daley has owned a landscape company for the past 13 years. In
his free time, he loves to write blogs on various topics related to gardening
products including landscape mulch.